Typhoon Ondoy updates & How to help

Typhoon Ondoy, also known as Ketsana, has hit the Philippines over the past few days and the flooding that has occurred as a result, has left the whole country in devastation and mourning.

Thousands of residents have started a massive clean up and although the extent of the disaster is now clear, there are still some victims that are stuck on the roofs of their houses with no water or food. They have spent the night there unable to get down as the water has continued to rise since the rain began on Friday.

More than 450,000 people were affected by the storm, including some 115,000 brought to about 200 schools, churches and other evacuation shelters, with troops, police and volunteers rescuing more than 7,900 people so far, officials have said. (source: “The State”)

The death toll and reported casualties are expected to rise. The government has declared a ‘state of calamity’ in Manila and other provinces hit by the storm. The Philippine Government on Monday appealed to the international community for help. The appeal was made by Defense Secretary Gilberto Teodoro Jr., also the concurrent head of the National Disaster Coordinating Council (NDCC), on behalf of President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo. (source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/173342/rp-appeals-for-foreign-aid-for-ondoy-victims)

“The President authorized me as chairman of the National Disaster Coordinating Council… to request the international humanitarian community for assistance on behalf of the government of the Philippines,” he said in a press briefing at the NDCC office in Camp Aguinaldo.So far……

Chinese firm Hwawei would donate $30,000 to be used for the relief operations, this was in addition to the $10,000 earlier given by the Chinese government for disaster relief assistance to the country.

What can we do to help? ‘Bayanihan’ is what we need, it means working together helping our kababayan (countrymen). The blogger for Manuel L Quezon named the opreation ‘Tulong Bayan (help our country). Today an emergency meeting is being held at the Philippine Embassy, where community leaders will be discussing how we can help from the UK. We at the Philippine Generations Team will be giving you regular updates.

Please find below, a list of links and information on how we can donate. If you have family with boats near to Manila, if they haven’t already come forward please urge them to volunteer. Please donate something if you can, however small. They need our help. If you know of any other ways we can help, please e-mail Janette Robertson at mailto:pgadmin.ass@googlemail.comor Mae Williams at philippinegenerations@googlemail.com.

Twitter is proving a good source of distributing information and getting volunteers together over in Manila and reaching out to others internationally to get donations and sources of relief to those in need.

Gawad Kalinga, which means ‘give care’ in tagalog, is one of the well known, established charity in the Philippines. An organisation that engages all sectors of society from the government, academe, corporate, religious, NGOs, and private citizens to set up and run a range of poverty alleviation programmes all over the Philippines. As part of the wider relief efforts, they have set up Operation GK: Walang Iwanan (No one left behind). If you want to directly contribute to their efforts, you may donate using your credit cards via their website: http://www.gk1world.com/give.html

Couples for Christ, which is one of the widest Chrisian networks are mobilising their people and organising relief efforts and distribution centres. Please see below on how you can donate through them: Donors from abroad may send their deposits to:BPI Dollar Savings Account Number 3104-0106-35 (Please indicate that the Swift Code is BOPIPHMM.)The CFC Relief Center has the following hot lines: (02 ) 727-0682 to 87. These lines will be open until 12 midnight tonight (September 27) and from 8 AM to 8 PM starting tomorrow, September 28.

We’re reaching out to all the bloggers who talk about the Philippines in an urgent appeal for them to tell their readers about the disaster that transformed the country this weekend.

The torrential rains that pounded the Philippines, has resulted in more than 1.8 million people being immediately affected.

We, the UN World Food Programme, has identified at least 178 000 families in need of immediate food aid.

Please would you consider telling the readers of your blog about their situation, and encourage them to go to https://www.wfp.org/donate/ondoy to donate? Also if you’re active on social networks, it would help to tell other about it there too.